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Handout – Part 2

The of

The most famous Austrian region:

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The most famous region:

Melk – Spitz - Dürnstein Spitz

Dürnstein

Weissenkirchen

Overview

• Facts and Stories • Geography and Climate • Main Varieties

• Vinea Wachau Association and their Codex Wachau

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Facts

• first written record of “Wahowa” in 830 AD • 25 mile-long valley with about 5,000 historic monuments (registered as UNESCO World Heritage since 2000) • every known architectural style from the medieval to modern period • 150 species of birds live here • habitat of unique feather grass (stipa pennata) • outside the DAC classification system (to date) • 3% of total Austrian production on 1,350 ha [3,335 acres]

Stories/Histories

• was introduced by Celtic tribes and continued by the Romans; later replanted abandoned sites • in 1192, Richard the Lionheart was held captive here on his return from the Crusades for insulting a local duke; allegedly paid 35,000kg silver in ransom • German epic poem set in the Wachau valley [written in the 1200s] • emerged politically as frontier region, or margravate • part of Duchy of (8th-10th c.); House of Habsburg (1273-1806); Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867-1918)

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Habsburg Empire

Austro-Hungarian Empire

Climate and Geography

• Wachau is western-most of 8 sub-zones of the wine region Lower (Niederösterreich) • has three distinct climate influences: cool northerly winds, warm easterly Pannonian winds, and western winds of chilly Alpine air + moderating river • mostly granite and loess soils • steep, mostly south-facing and terraced slopes

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Main Grape Varieties: & Grüner Veltliner

• “Top Wachau • “GV was the traditional can have the steely cut Wachau grape–at their best of the Saar in a mouth- green-tinged, high-spirited filling structure that is almost peppery every bit as full as an performances [that]…can Alsace Grand Cru,” age as long as fine white burgundies,”

says Jancis Robinson, The World Atlas of Wine, 7th ed.

Vinea Wachau Association

• Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus founded in 1983 • name coined by Leuthold von I Kuenring (1243-1313) • about 200 members of Vinea Wachau agree on specific quality standards for dry white wines, and a • three-tiered classification system, the Codex Wachau: Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd designations, based on must weight/alcohol content of wine • emphasis on driven wines: Rieden map of individual

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Vinea Wachau Rieden [>Rodung] Map

Vinea Wachau members agree to:

• source all their from the Wachau area • abstain from • abstain from water removing technology, such as reverse osmosis or cyro-extraction • avoid adding aromas via barrels, wood chips or powdered tannins • avoid spinning cone technology

*All of the above applies to dry white Wachau wines only!

• named after a type of feather grass (stipa capillata) indigenous to the region • light, fragrant wines with up to 11.5% alc. • usually from grapes that were picked early • most of it is consumed in Austria [think German ]

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• named after bird used for prey in falconry, a sport with a long tradition in Wachau • alcohol level between 11.5% and 12.5% • food-friendly wines • “good in first five years” (Jancis Robinson)

• Named after a type of green lizard that lives in Wachau vineyards • 12.5% alc.+ • from grapes at highest level of ripeness and quality • suitable for aging, most expensive category [think VDP Grosses Gewächs]

Beyond Wachau… • Vinea Wachau shares with the German VDP the pursuit of high quality dry wines, but one is distinctly regional, the other national • Vinea Wachau inspired the Mittelrhein Charta: Handstreich <12% Felsenspiel 12-13% Meisterstück 13%+ • Domäne Wachau is a reputable wine co-op for affordable Wachau wines

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High-end producers: Nikolaihof, FX Pichler, Prager

F.X. Pichler, Riesling Unendlich Smaragd 2013 (~US $150.00

Any questions?

PDO Apricots and PGI Brandy

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Marillenkuchen

Marillenknödel

cookingweekends.blogspot.com

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The PGI Brandy: Wachauer Marillenbrand

Produced from Wachauer Marille (Wachauer Apricots), at a distillery located within the defined PDO region

Fruit is usually pitted before fermentation

Pot still distillation is required

Clear, colorless, and very fragrant

Maximum 4 g/L of sugar

Bottled at a minimum of 38% abv

There is also a PGI apricot liqueur: Wachauer Marillenlikör

Any questions?

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Any questions?

Zweigelt taste-along

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Zweigelt: the Grape

A Blaufränkisch X Saint Laurent cross

Created by Fritz Zweigelt in 1922

Native to Austria

High-yielding, early budding, mid-ripening; Controlled yields necessary for quality wines

The leading red grape of Austria: 16,000 acres (6,470 ha)

Zweigelt: the Wine

Main aromas: Red Cherry, Black Cherry, Blackberry, Blueberry

Oaked versions: Plum, cinnamon, black pepper

Red-violet in color

Widely grown in cool climates where it makes wines moderate in tannin & medium in body

Warm-climate versions can be quite a bit richer in both body and tannins

Photo: https://austrianwineusa.com

 E & M Berger Zweigelt, Lower Austria, 2014  12.5% abv  100% Zweigelt  Bright cherry-red color  Aromas of cherry, raspberry, blueberry  Medium-plus acidity  Medium tannin – but with a gritty “edge  Flavors of red fruit (cranberry, raspberry), hint of herb  Long, crisp finish

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